Desire Lines (Production)

PRODUCER

As Ahmad turns 60, his long-suppressed desires for other men become impossible to ignore. Having grown up in an era when homosexual activity could block a trans man's access to medical transition, he's conflicted. He meets Kieran, a 20-something trans archivist on a sexual journey of his own. Unlike Ahmad, Kieran is immersed in queer culture and longs for sex with a cis gay man as a gender-affirming rite of passage. As the two men fall deeper into the LGBGTQ archive, they become time-travelers who witness and participate in the historical moments they read about.

​Through a surprising blend of contemporary oral history, fiction, archival documents, and re-enactment, an intergenerational dialogue emerges that dares to ask how public forces shape our most private desires. Intimate personal testimony and never-before-seen archival gems bring to light the untold history of a group of people who have been marginalized by straight and gay communities alike. 

​www.julesrosskam.com/desire-lines

 

A Run for More (2022)

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PRODUCER | SOCIAL IMPACT PRODUCER

Growing up in San Antonio, Frankie Gonzalez-Wolfe never thought she would become a woman, fall in love with a man who accepted her unconditionally, or make history. In this feature-length documentary, Frankie faces down her demons in her fight to become the first openly transgender elected official in Texas. Other members of the team include Executive Producer, PJ Raval, and Director, Ray Whitehouse.

WORK IN PROGRESS
We are done with principal photography, having shot over 150 hours of footage. We are seeking an editor and are raising money for post-production and social impact. Learn more at www.aunformore.com.

 

America in Transition (2019)

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT GOAL
Our community engagement campaign uses the series to build community, create dialogue, and activate allies. We push forward public conversations about trans issues centering people of color's voices, especially in places where LGBTQ people are underrepresented (ie the South and the Midwest).

​Our team developed and piloted several workshops building on themes from the series. We work with local organizations to adapt workshops and host events to support ongoing community organizing efforts.

OUTCOMES

• Audience of 22,000 via 100 screenings in 13 states and 3 countries in addition to online views
• Workshops, lectures, and educational programming in partnership with 65+ colleges, community organizations, and churches
• An organizer toolkit for local leaders (download here)

DIRECTOR | PRODUCER
​
America in Transition is a Sundance-backed documentary series exploring family, love, and social issues with trans people of color. Join us as we travel across the United States to capture life for a veteran turned activist, a woman living with HIV, and a model navigating family life. We released a miniseries of 7 min episodes (featured here), and later released longer (20 min) episodes as a Revry Original Series. ​

Book Screening

 

Chinga La Migra: Abolish ICE (2018)

CO-DIRECTOR | CINEMATOGRAPHY

Chinga La Migra is an organizing tour and web series spearheaded by Mijente. Created for immigrants, the series follows an activist undergoing deportation herself as she travels across the country to shine a light on underreported aspects of the war in immigrants and how communities are fighting back. 

SOCIAL IMPACT GOAL

• Change the conversation around immigration at the height of the family separation crisis at the US/Mexican border by introducing the idea of abolishing ice. ​

​OUTCOMES

• Key leaders in the undocumented movement around the United States watched the series
• Politicians across the political spectrum discussed abolishing ice for the first time ever on every major news network within one month of the release of our first episode

 

 Trans Oral History Project (2008-ongoing)

Perez founded the Transgender Oral History Project in 2008, which grew to a national collective with member in six cities who recorded 100+ stories over the next decade. The project launched with a traveling multimedia historical exhibit about transgender activism in 2009 and went on to create numerous public exhibitions sharing trans stories including a residency at the University of Illinois, Chicago in 2011, public exhibition as part of the City of Philadelphia's 50th anniversary of the Dewey Lunch Counter sit-in in 2014, and a workshop series for transgender creators in 2015.​

In 2012, Perez served as Director and Senior Producer for I Live for Trans Education, a grassroots multimedia toolkit. He worked with a team of 20 transgender community members at varying skill levels to create four documentary shorts and accompanying workshops. Perez brought together youth representatives from six organizations across Chicago to refine the toolkit. I Live ultimately partnered with Lambda Legal, the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance, and the Latino Institute at Creating Change to reach over 15,000 people through online views, installations, live community events, and train-the-trainer sessions.